Annual adjustment of the Medicare fee schedule to raise or lower base payment amounts to allow for changes in cost of living by determining the relative values of new and revised procedure codes. See Medicare economic index (MEI) and Medicare Volume Performance Standard (MVPS) .

Inpatient hospital admission category. Patients in this category need to be admitted as soon as a bed is available, within 24 to 48 hours. See urgent admission .

Inpatient hospital or facility acceptance of a patient who requires immediate medical or psychiatric care because of life-threatening, serious, and possible disabling conditions.

Medically necessary treatment required for illness or injury that is not a serious threat and would not result in further disability or death if not treated immediately (e.g., ear infection, ear wax removal, small laceration).

Health care facility whose primary purpose is to provide immediate, short-term medical care for minor, but urgent, medical conditions.

Medical care a patient receives for a sudden illness or injury that needs care right away but is not life threatening. The patient’s primary care doctor generally provides urgently needed care if the patient is in a Medicare health plan other than the Original Medicare Plan. If the patient is out of the plan’s service area for a short time and cannot wait until he or she returns home, then the health plan must pay for urgently needed care.